My First Mother's Day

I'm a mom! Thus, I got to participate in Mother's Day last Sunday. Johnny made me feel very loved. After Sal woke up and nursed in the morning, he took her while I caught some extra shuteye. And then I woke up to the smell of bacon, eggs, and toast... breakfast in bed! I loved that gesture so, so much, and I was the happiest girl as I chowed down. 

From there on out, what could go wrong did go wrong in the Sally department. One example: we were about to leave for church and were running late, and then Sally spit up A TON on my outfit and hers, destroying them both. Anyway, at some point in the afternoon, I reached my breaking point and was being kind of ornery I'm sure. That's when Johnny said, "I think we need to eat some cake right now." Oh, he knows me so well. So I took Sally's bouncer out to the sunroom and hoped she'd sit and be content looking outside, without Johnny or me holding her at all times (it was one of those days). And she was! So Johnny and I had an afternoon slice of my Mother's Day cake with ice cream out in the sunroom next to Sally (and Persie, of course), and everything was better. And then we had a slice after dinner also. I mean, we had to, right?

It's strange because I can't really imagine what I used to do all the time before I was a mom. My house stayed really clean. And I did whatever I felt like doing. And I loved my life. But I just feel much more complete with little Sally. It's the same way I felt after getting married. And the same way I'm sure I'll feel once we have our second child. Johnny and Sally are my life, and boy do I love it. I feel very lucky to have them. When no one else cares about something I'm facing, Johnny cares. And I can face anything if he's there with me. And Sally has made me a much stronger person in four month's time. I have been pushed to my breaking point and even further some days. I've had to dig deep and find what I'm made of, and I'm grateful for that. She's made me a better person, and I love her more than words could adequately express. She has filled our home with so much love and happiness, and I cannot believe I am so blessed to be her mom.

Strawberry Picking

Last Saturday we went and picked strawberries at the farm down the street from us (the same farm where we picked pumpkins in the fall). Sally woke us up at around 7:00, and then we showered and went straight on over. Sally is actually much better behaved when we're out doing stuff than at home because I think she gets bored at home. Thus, we're always looking for ways to entertain her, and strawberry picking fit the bill perfectly. Plus, it meant delicious strawberries for Johnny and me! Mmmm.

It was a perfect morning, and as we walked back home, Sally fell sound asleep, completely exhausted, which was a major plus!

she's still just nursing... this was an experiment :)

poor Sally... already being forced into unnecessary photo ops

Hannah Visits!

My sister Hannah took a last-minute trip to come and see us last week! She hadn't met Sally yet, so it was great for Sal to meet another family member.

It rained pretty much the whole week she was in town, but one day we went to Duke Gardens during my lunch break.

The gardens were gorgeous of course, but we could only take pictures with our phones because it was misting the whole time. And we kept Sally draped in a blanket to keep her dry, and she loved every second of it.

We sent the above picture to my mom since she loves Sally and irises. We were loving Sal's blanketed appearance, and I was referring to her as a woman of the cloth.

Afterward, we toured Johnny's work/work campus. Hannah's considering majoring in Advertising, so she got to see her first agency.

It was awesome having Hannah in town! I can't wait until Jill gets home from her mission next month and I can see her (!!!!!!!!!!) and Hannah and the rest of my Alabama family again!!

4 Months

Another month has passed! It's crazy. Sally is growing so quickly. She is getting rounder and rounder. We went to her 4-month appointment on Monday, and these were her stats:

Sally's 4-Month Stats:
Weight: 17lbs (98%ile)
Height: 25 3/4" (94%ile)
Head: 16 1/2" (77%ile)

Johnny and I make her appointments early in the morning before work so we can attend together, which I've been really grateful for. I'm sure it won't always be possible, so I'm enjoying it for now. Sally cracked us up at this last appointment. She was loving all the attention. She grinned so big while she was weighed and measured. And then when the doctor came into our room and examined her, Sal was loving it. She was just all smiles stripped down to her diaper. As the doctor had her stand on the exam table she looked so proud of herself.

Another milestone: Sally reached for me for the first time two days ago! She's been an absolute wreck all week after getting her shots. Just imagine three days straight of fussiness, not sleeping well, and running a low fever and that's what our week has been like. There have been glimmers of happiness, but it wasn't until Thursday that she seemed like she was back to her normal self. But on one of those days she reached for me! I've been trying to get her to do that since like day one. And now she kicks her feet excitedly when Johnny or I pick her up. I love it.

A few other things:

• Sally loves the front pack. Only problem? She weighs too much! I die after like 20 minutes. 
• Sally's weight! We can't believe how big our girl is. More to love!
• She loves grabbing stuff, especially my hair. And I'm at the postpartum stage where my hair is falling out... so gross. So Sally grabs my hair and actually pulls pieces into her hands!!! I'm constantly having to grab hair out of her hands. It's just gross and weird all around. And of course Sally thinks it's all great fun.
• She's wearing size 6–12 months already. 
• Sally is such a happy girl. She's also very demanding, wanting attention anytime she's awake. It's tough work. But at least it's happy work now, which I couldn't say a couple months ago!
• I baked chocolate chip cookies today, and Sally sat content in her bouncer the whole time! I put on some upbeat music and danced and sang and she loved it. It surprises me how much Sally loves music, but then I remember that she heard it pretty much 8 hours a day all through my pregnancy. And Johnny and I both love music, and I guess she is our daughter. 
• Naps are still disastrous! So our pediatrician recommended a book, which I ordered today. So I'm hoping our girl is a napping champ in no time. 
• Sal's schedule changed right at about 16 weeks. She now eats every 3-4 hours, and stays awake for about two hours after every feeding. It's hard to find ways to entertain her! Any tips, Mommies??
• Last thing: Sally still isn't rolling over. But when I was taking these pictures of her, she fell on her face and quickly rolled herself to her back! So she has rolled ONCE! 

My poor future children. They'll get so much less attention than Sal. But for now I'm going to continue to fawn over her because it's pretty fun.

Here are some other pics of our four-month baby doll:

pick me up!

pick me up!

not tummy time again!

pick me up!

finally a smile 

This last picture reminds me what a little baby she still is. I love my girl.

Who Does Sally Look Like?

Johnny and I have been trying to figure out who Sally looks like. So here we are as babies and here she is:

Is she her Daddy's girl, her Mommy's girl, or a little of both?